So much has been already written about the ancient art of
bullfighting, but in the last couple of years the issue has
transcended the cultural scope to include the economic and
political differences of the regions in Spain. Elizabeth
Hardouin-Fugier echoes this trend and offers in Bullfighting:
A Troubled History a very comprehensive study (although
biased and often subjective) of the origins and evolution of
bullfighting, not only in Spain but also in Latin America and
France. As the title suggests, the book follows a chronological
order where the information is presented in a thorough and
enjoyable way.

Chapters 1 and 2 take the reader several centuries back, when
men hunted wild animals for survival, and explain how this activity
developed into a sport and pastime as humans became sedentary and
"the killing of bulls for entertainment mimicked an ancient hunt,
with lances... " (9). Therefore, according to Hardouin-Fugier, the
maltreatment of animals increased and the notion of game completely
disappeared. Thus, the hunt, become a morbid show very much
resembling public executions, "without a slow death, there was no
spectacle" (41). What's more, the author quotes artists and
novelists such as Francisco de Goya and Ernest Hemingway, both
passionate bullfighting aficionados, to make her point
against this tradition by re-interpreting their ideas and stating
that crucifixion and bullfighting are two very similar
practices.

The next chapter concentrates on the physical location of
bullfights, the plazas and bullrings, and how since its origin this
spectacle took place in public squares temporarily-closed where
spectators had to pay a fee to enter. Due to its popularity, these
enclosed buildings became permanent, turned into circular
structures made of stone reflecting the architectural tendencies of
the time, and thus acquiring artistic value.

Chapters 4 and 5 concentrate on the foreign perception of
bullfighting in Spain and Latin America by discussing some radical
differences between the former empire and its colonies. In the
past, many disregarded the South American "bull games" as truly
Spanish bullfighting because of the use of a lasso and its
resemblance to a carnival where the bull was previously harmed
before entering the bullring. Bullfighting was even "adapted" by
the Indians who, during the XVIII century, used it to execute their
prisoners "by shifting the cruelty inflicted on the bulls in the
corrida onto the men they hated" (73-4). On the other
hand, the French Romantic movement inadvertently contributed to
spur the interest in this Hispanic tradition. The horrors of the
French revolutionary wars inspired the works of writers such as
Prosper Mérimée with his opera Carmen and Alexandre Dumas who were
inherently drawn to the violence and death that bullfighting
represented.

The effect of bullfighting in the Arts is precisely the focus of
the Chapters 6 and 8. It is interesting to note that by the end of
the XVIII century bullfighting had originated its own kind of
illustrators who were solely in charge of creating the posters for
the events. These were often considered genuine works of art.
What's more, in France bullfighting became the key subject of
engravers rather than painters, as engraving served better to
express the emotions and movements of the corrida.
Veracity was not, however, the main goal of literature when
portraying the deeds of bullfighters during the XX century.
Hardouin-Fugier notes that more often than not writers "strayed so
far from reality as to abandon it entirely, creating a completely
different, imaginary spectacle" (129). The last step on the gradual
infatuation with bullfighting was represented by movies and
documentaries that contributed to epitomize the brave
matadors as semi-gods. This was partly due to the
works done by the Lumière Brothers, Thomas Alva Edison, León
Gaumont and others who were attracted by this brutish albeit
enthralling performance.

Therefore, it is not surprising that by the beginning of the XX
century Spain was the only country in Europe where the interest in
bullfighting not only had increased but also had become a true
"national entertainment". This fact was symbolized by the number of
bullrings built over a period of fifty years all over the country.
This is the focus of interest of Chapter 7...

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